Schultz Family Reunion 2009

Where do I start? After 3 nights in 3 cabins (4 with Kent's) at Jolly Fisherman Resort on Elbow Lake near Waubun, MN, I'm finding I can't believe I am back home in my quiet house with just two and not twenty around my kitchen table!!!!! It seems just too quiet for a moment and the time went much too fast. We are fortunate to have the family we have.
The group picture below has my mom, my brothers and myself plus nieces, nephews, children, spouses - and a few that had joined us earlier were missing! I think we had 22 for the first meal on Saturday night. It being Minnesota we had garden-fresh cucumbers, lettuce, tomatoes, peas (Lucy loved these raw) and of course "Bars" and cookies - Sara made Grandpa LaVern's (my dad) chocolate dipped Sponge Candy - known at Fleet Farm as Angel Candy...we grew up loving it. Goal: fit 22 people around a table for four. TO SEE THE BIG PICTURE JUST CLICK ON EACH PHOTO.

To take this group photo required setting up 6 cameras with timers on a bench and then a couple people running and trying not to trip. Quite a few people who also attended who were missing in the picture (Kent's kids Chelsea and Garrett and Brandon's son Dustin, his best "friend" Connie and her children Tori and Garrett - we felt sorry for her to be inundated with SOOOO many family members. Brian's camera met it's maker when it tumbled to the ground. Next photo my mom and my brothers and me (Kent on left, Brian on right - ages (sorry): 55, 62, 82, 49. Our cabins - we had 3 two of which were connected by a screen porch (also known as "game room" where board games, hearts, dominoes, hearts and scrabble were played at different times. My mom is getting more cutthroat as she gets older - Kent was the target of her anger when he dumped the bad card on her....she gets teased a lot about this flaw of not liking to lose.

Alex (4) and Brian driving the pontoon which we had for two days - Alex loves Unka Brian and Unka Kent. On the way up while he was riding in the car with Brian and me he asked: "Is Kent nice?" - we wanted to say no but he is a little worrier so we agreed Kent would be OK. After about 15 minutes at the cabin he was tagging behind them everywhere - they taught him to fish, steer the pontoon, roast marshmallows and check out the minnows and worms. Kent's son, Brandon, pretended he was a boat sitting on the banks and pulled him in on a tube going faster when Alex would call out "Hit it!" Next picture Chris, Alex and Brandon in the canoe Kent built - just in front of his cabin on the same lake.

Our newest addition is little Lily (with Mom Molly and Josh with the "guys fishing) - at just over two months who endured gracefully Lucy poking her in the eye and calling her "Babiesh". Lucy and I on the pontoon - she usually has her mouth full or does funny things with her lips as you can see in the next picture with Sara, my niece (age unknown - you owe me:)

Around the fire in front of our cabins - every night we had Smores and yum they were as good as I remembered. We all have our peculiarities about how the marshmallow should appear when it is fully "cooked". Kathy (mom of Sara, Carrie, Molly - grandma to Lucy) and Carrie from Portland. Last one is Sara and Alex and Stowaway Oatie the chihuahua who couldn't bark as he had on the no-bark collar which would spray citronella when he tried-also travelled all the way from Portland by car; Pets were not allowed at the resort but he made it! Problem is once Carrie was holding him and talked and laughed too loud and the little black box sprayed in her face! It does work - we probably should have all had these collars as things get pretty noisy in the game room and at mealtime.

Below are Chris, Amy and Alex after Lucy went to bed. Carrie just into her allergic reaction to a glass of wine - I had my usual traveling medicine chest with Benadryl. Alex being pulled by Brandon on the tube.

What can I say about my family - funny people, lots of love. We missed the ones unable to be there (Jenny and Rooke in California, Andrew (Brian's son) in California who has a busy summer job at the Marina Beach Inn in Santa Barbara (lucky loon), Corey and Sue (Kent's son) in ND - If I left anyone else out I apologize - it's my age.

Our modes of transportation: cars, boats, canoes, pontoons, kayaks, tubes and our feet!

Thanks to Kent and Karen who cleaned and cooked all the fish that were caught - yummy good.

Thanks to all of us who were able to be there and do lots of things to feed, transport and entertain this many.

We plan our next one in two years at a currently undisclosed location.